Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1887-03-19
ANIMAL TRAINING.
Experiments With Horses.
Dogs, Pigs, and Elephants
Tbs Horse the Hardest, and the E.ephan.
the Easiest, Animal 70 Train.

perform wonderful tricks, must often
ask themselves how the animals are
taught to do them. \ writer in the
Hatn, having interviewed several circus
celebrities. undertakes to satisfy Their
curiosity ~ Loyal, who has been ring
master Of the leading Paris circus for
81 years supplies interesting information
concerning horses "Ihe horse" he
says, contrary to general belief is the
most stupid animal on earth. He has
only one faculty, memory. You must
son and the lon, whip Having forced
them into his head, you must use the
short whip when he resists and give him
carrot when he obeys. Whips and
carrots form the secret OF the trainer.
The horse must be from ) to years old:
before that a5e he is too spirited, after it
his muscles are not elastic enough. The
first thing TO DO IS to accustom your
horse to the ring, to make him run
round regularly, ami then to stop at
given signal. To accomplish
this the animal is brought
into the ring. The trainer
holds in his left hand tether, which is
passed into the cavesson, kind of iron
crescent armed with shazp points fixed
on the nose Of the horse; in his right
hand nc holds a long whip. Behind the
animal an assistant, with a stout. short
whip, is posted The trainer calls on
the horse to start, and, pulling his
tcther and smacking his long whip,
forces him to gallon round. If he re-
fuses, the assistant uses his whip also; if
he is obcdient, he is rewarded with a
carrot. To MAKE him stop short, the
trainer cracks his long whip again,
while the assistant with his short whip
throws himself suddenly in front of the
animal, and the result is obtained" NJ.
LOYAL tells us that 'the horse has a
great objection to kneelins or lying
down at any moment. This feat IS
taught by means of iron bracelets placed
on his ankles and attached to a tether
held by the trainer, who, by sudden
jerks OF pulls as he is moving makes him
fall or knecl The animal remembers
the lessons and, by dint of whip and
carrot, ultimately performs them at the
mere command of the trainer. The
horse is taught to dance to music in the
same way with the foot bracelets" As
regards the learned horse, who opens
boxes and takes articles out Of them, here
is how the animal is trained Aldo it: Il
first get carrot" says II. Loyal. Il
place it in a box ! then lead the horse
to the box. He smells the carrot, lifts
up the hd of the box with his nose and
takes out the vegetable, which he is al
lowed to cat. The next day before let
ting the horse free, show him a hand :
kerchief full of bran He takes it and
tries to eat it, | then let him loose. He
runs to the box, but-bittcr deception
tits empty. The day after ] resume the
exercise, but this time the horse finds
the handkerchief with the bran in the
box. He takes it out, and l reward him
with a carrot. Idccrease the amount Of
bran in the handkerchief every day, un-
til in the end put merely the handker-
chief in the box The horse brings il
to me, and gets his carrot. then re-
ducc the size Of the caro-. every day,
until at last | give him nothing. The
horse continues 70 perform with tn
handkerchief in the hope Of getting tbs
carrot'
With respect to dogs ", Changeux
who IS now exhibiting troupe Of then
at the Nouveau Argue, says their cduca
ton IS a work Of time and patience
Sometimes it takes two years II u.s.
neither sugar or WHIP he informs Us
Il take my do. in ny hands, talk 4
him, and try to make him naderstano
what he IS TO do / perform tic trick
myself and the dogs follow and itnitatt
me-" " prosen; hc s show
ing carriage dog wh.c:
performs On the single wire.
Il VIII tel you how l taught him t
become an cqa,!ibri=,. Imade him frs
ot al walk ca d plank which vas bal